Demonstration of Anaplasma marginale Theiler in Dermacentor variabilis (Say) by ferritin-conjugated antibody technique.

Cattle were inoculated with a Virginia isolate of Anaplasma marginale Theiler and served as an infective source for laboratory-reared Dermacentor variabilis (Say) nymphs. Transstadial transmission of A marginale was demonstrated by feeding the newly molted adult ticks on susceptible cattle and by inoculation of gut homogenates collected from adult ticks at postattachment day 6. A similar gut homogenate from the same group of ticks was caused to react with A marginale-bovine antisera that had been conjugated with ferritin. The homogenate contained organisms similar to those observed in the gut of adult feeding ticks that were infected as nymphs and the labeling of the outer membrane confirmed that organisms observed were A marginale. A gut homogenate prepared from control ticks did not cause infection when inoculated into a susceptible cow and no organisms were demonstrated.